Hi all, I have always been curious............can brass get rusty spots on it? Or will all blemishes simply polish out? Also, is it better to keep a brass item like a stove tank polished or alow it to tarnish for any reason other than pure asthetics? Thanks Ian...
Brass is non ferrous, so cannot rust. It can, however, corrode. Clean it periodically if you must, with a soft cloth and a polish such as Brasso. It isn't necessary though. Just keep it dry and wipe clean with a soft cloth or paper towel after use and it will outlive the pyramids. On the other hand there are those who are satisfied with nothing less than a mirror shine and will eventually polish a brass item until it's got holes in it. The only brass stove I have ever seen with holes due to corrosion is a Meva pressure stove currently residing in my scrap brass bin minus some useable parts. I have a few that were scruffy to the point of looking unsalvageable but cleaned up very nicely after half an hour in a HOT 50/50 bath of white vinegar and water. A good wipe with a soft cloth augmented by gently scrubbing the really vile crusties lodged in corners with a soft brass brush and they look pretty much new. I think a good clean and polish every quarter century or so is on the edge of overdoing it. Gerry
Thanks Gerry. My little 71 has a spot on the top of the tank that is very hard and crusty like that of iron oxide. I suspect that the use of vinegar like this being acidic enough to eat away at the gunk on the surface that is adhered to the brass yet mild enough to not actually attack the brass in such a short time. Am I on the right track here? Will that vinegar bath leave the brass shiny or simple nice and clean with a soft wipe to dry? Ian...
Ian, it will leave the brass ready to polish up with Brasso. Do not over soak the brass until it turns pink
I'm no expert, but it seems to be fairly established that ammonia and therefore Brasso will cause brass to become brittle and susceptible to stress fractures under pressure. I've read that it the result of a reaction with the zinc, actually leaching the zinc out of the brass. I have no idea how much polishing it would take to seriously jeopardize a brass stove tank, but I'm not going to find out either. There are plenty of ammonia free polishes for me to use instead. I'll add that until I heard about the ammonia/zinc reaction, I used Brasso regularly with "good" results, and on a non-stressed item it is apparently fine to use.
Just use the Brasso and don't loose sleep about the stove, its quick and easy and the amount you use won't do any harm
Hey, All, I agree with Richard on this, 100%. If you soak a stove in Brasso, and let it stay soaked for a year, maybe you might have a problem. However, a periodic cleaning with Brasso will do nothing to weaken, or harm the brass of our beloved stoves, in my humble opinion. Too many of us have been using Brasso for too many years, for massive problems not to have surfaced by now. Just my two cents.... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
This would make a good episode on ''Myth Busters'' I could just see those two blokes polishing up a 96 until their fingers can't take it anymore,each wearing a pair of sunglasses...Ha Ha Ha Okay i'm serious now....Ha Ha Ha Take care
I was only going off information I got off be-back-later,from the Lamp Guild, and other collector resources. Granted they are lamp collectors, and it seems you guys have a different opinions regarding stoves. I can appreciate that and of course I realize that many stoves have been polished many times without failing. Like I said I'm no expert, but I will probably stick to the ammonia free polishes when needed. Just my choice, and not much more effort overall.
Well, as far as BBL is concerned, quite a few of the members there are also members here. There may even be a handful here who also frequent the Guild website on a regular basis (but I doubt it, somehow - anybody care to own up to that?! ) I do recall this issue being mentioned on BBL some time ago with a link to a website that had appeared on the Guild site. However, IIRC, that website was generally concerned with ancient, museum quality, historically significant, brass artefacts (often with much fine detailing) that had lain in the ground for centuries before being discovered. These required specialist conservation, often being in a parlous condition. No-one in their right mind would use ammonia-based polishes such as Brasso in those circumstances. But someone then decided that if this advice was correct for such objects, then it must apply, equally, to lamps as well - and now stoves. Respectfully, no... My take on this is that if you polish a stove with Brasso every day for several years, you'll eventually lose some of the fine detailing on the inscription. I seriously doubt whether you'd be able to remove sufficient brass to put a hole in the stove or even seriously weaken it to the extent that it became dangerous to pressure up. If I wanted a stove for display (I haven't felt that need, so far!), I'd polish it using whatever and then lacquer it to preserve the lustre - but only because I'm a lazy b*gger and I hate polishing. Otherwise, I might polish a newly acquired stove once, for a photograph, and then just use it. My two penn'orth...
About 10% of my stoves are renovated and polished to look like new. As David also knows (the little stirrer), the rest of my stoves look their age and I can not seem to find the time to do much with them. Maybe when I retire . . . . . . . . . .
I agree with David and Spudz, and if its for display, why not polish with the killer Brasso and lacquer it, just needs dusting then. I have in the past done the vinager bath/citric acid clean then polish and the stove looks great, they you light it, and use it, and it goes dull again,,,,,,,, I can't be bothered to be honest. Two members here are past masters in the art of polishing stoves, Kerophile and Kawred, absolute Jedi masters at the art, you should really talk to them via PM, they have both forgotten more about polishing brass that most of us will ever learn
